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Tim Cook’s Bad Apple

Refusing to cooperate with the FBI is about protecting the brand, not iPhone users.

L. Gordon Crovitz

Updated Feb. 21, 2016 7:20 p.m. ET

The dispute between Apple and terrorism investigators comes down to whether Apple can refuse a court order because it fears complying would be bad for business.

Contrary to CEO Tim Cook’s claim that the FBI’s request is “chilling” and would benefit “sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” Apple hasn’t been asked to make iPhones less secure. Instead, last week the company rejected a court order to do minimal work to help the FBI...